Flash/Shockwave Crashes when Viewing Ustream.tv [IPCamera_MJPEG.ax]

So, after about a month of wrestling with Ustream.tv and any other web site that imbeds interactive Adobe Flash or Shockwave videos, I decided I should actually take a good look at the error reports that Firefox and Chrome create on crash. I discovered that a module called IPCamera_MJPEG.ax was causing an issue. Normally, IPCamera_MJPEG.ax is found in C:\Windows\system32, but mine wasn’t there. I read on Ustream’s official forums, though, that other encoders and camera capture utilities from other cam streaming sites will cause an issue. One user reported the encoder for Justin.tv was the issue. Mine? The Camstreams encoder was the culprit. Once I uninstalled it (I wasn’t using it anyway), Ustream.tv behaved like an angel!

Just in case your issue isn’t with Camstreams or any other encoder, here’s some other ideas:

• Windows Media Encoder (the Camstreams encoder is based off of WME, so WME might cause an issue too)
• Outdated or corrupted video drivers. Update or reinstall the drivers any chipset or add-on graphics card you have.
• Outdated Flash or Shockwave. Completely uninstall Flash and Shockwave. Adobe provides uninstall programs to clean all traces. Reinstall.
• Other browser plugins. Though, less likely, it is possible that other plugins in your browser of choice are causing conflicts. Disable all of them, and renable them one-by-one while reloading Ustream (or any other site giving you trouble) to catch the culprit.
• format c:
  (disclaimer: It’s a joke ^…. I don’t want to be responsible for a wiped drive!)

Time Wasters Mixed with Complex Programming

I can’t remember how I found this site, but I’ve had it bookmarked for years. Arkitus.com (by Seyed Mohammadali Eslami) looks simple on the outside, but the programming behind it is fairly complex. If you know anything about programming, you’ll have a greater appreciation for the site. The site is split into two separate sections: a blog and a “playground.”

The blog is self explanatory, but the play section is the interesting part. The (currently) 25 pages are each different experiments presented in a playable flash form. A lot of the experiments are simple and show a proof-of-concept or the results of a basic function that can be built upon. However, some of Arkitus’s more interesting experiments are playable and will have you wasting time before you know it.

Some of my favorite experiments / games:

• Ball Collision (#15)
  • Here, the balls realistically bounce of each other and their boundaries. The user can click and hold to grab a ball and move it. The plus and minus on the users keyboard will increase and decrease the size. Apparently increasing the size too much will crash your browser.
• Curtain (#16)
  • I enjoy this one because of how smooth the object recognition (ball) is by the environment (curtain).
• Line (#18)
  • Probably one of the bigger time wasters, this one provides physics, collision detection and user options.
• Angular V1 (#20)
  • Described by its creator as his first real game, this one bears some resemblance to Asteroids. However, instead of a triangle ship shooting large floating rocks, there’s a computers controlled (and a heck of a good one, too) ship shooting back at you!